Driving Efficiency and Profitability Part 3 – Automated Marketing

Gemini Systems have designed the perfect marketing tool for your business which will help you fully maximise the huge potential profit that resides in your database

Many businesses would like to do more marketing, unfortunately the time to plan and generate the campaign can be lengthy and the high cost of postage means you are not always as proactive as you would like. That’s why Gemini Systems have designed the perfect marketing tool for your business which will help you fully maximise the huge potential profit that resides in your database

The Campaign Manager lets you build specific date driven marketing such as MOT reminders, sales letters or workshop booking reminders. These are the 5 simple steps to follow to make sure every customer or prospect is contacted on time, every time.

Step 1 – Set a trigger interval
Every campaign is give a trigger interval, this is an amount of time before or after a specific date that campaign is to be sent. So for example the MOT letter interval might be set to 3 weeks before the MOT due date.

Step 2 – Decide the type of contact
Choose to have your contact sent by letter, email or SMS. You can even set the reminder to go to the cheapest option available. So via email if the customer has an email address, if not then send via SMS and where you have neither of these then print a letter as a last resort.

Step 3 – Build your message
Set up your message including merge fields such as dates, name, address, and vehicle details. Evolution has an in built SMS and email editor to allow you to build your template. Letter templates are designed in Microsoft Word and Evolution uses those templates to merge the letters for you automatically.

Step 4 – Chose the recipients
Specify target customers by stating criteria such as make of car, age of car, post code and many other options. This allows you to send different letters to different customers based around the same date. For example you may want one service reminder going out to customers with cars that are 1 to 3 years old and a different letter to customers with a car aged 4 years and over.

Step 5 – Sit back and relax
Evolution automates the creation and sending of all date driven campaigns to your customers. These reminders are sent automatically in SMS or email format. Any postcards or letters to be posted will be printed automatically ready for you to fold and stamp.

Because the campaigns are generated automatically on a daily basis there is no need to do anything other than fold the few letters that are printed. Plus you get the added benefit that the campaign is spread across many days rather than just once or twice a month, this removes the peaks and troughs of incoming calls historically associated with running monthly campaigns such as MOT reminders.

Here are some example campaigns that some customers run automatically:

Vehicle Health Check Reminders
If you record amber items during the VHC send reminders to the customer

Happy birthday emails
That personal touch that customers love

Diary booking reminder SMS
Remind them they need their wheel nut locking key and service book

CSI Customer Satisfaction email
If the customer has an issue make sure you are aware of it before the franchise or other customers

Extended warranty
If their manufacturer warranty is running out, why not sell them an extended one

Thank you for your first visit SMS
Say thank you to the customer for visiting the showroom, why not tell them all the other services you offer!

Finance expiry
Send your customers a letter 6 months before their finance is settled to start the conversation about buying a new car